Earlier this week meteorologists were predicting the biggest snowstorm in two years would wallop the GTA overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday, dumping 30 centimetres of snow in less than 24 hours.

David Phillips, a senior climatologist at Environment Canada, called it a “hit and run” storm on Tuesday and said Torontonians should be prepared to wake up to a “mean-looking” blizzard. Schools were closed, flights cancelled, and downtown offices shuttered.

But by mid-afternoon Wednesday, the snow had pretty much stopped.

Meteorologist Geoff Coulson said up to five more centimetres could fall during Wednesday afternoon, which would bring the total up to 20 centimetres, not the 30 predicted earlier this week.

There are a few reasons why the storm fell short of expectations, Coulson explained.

The storm travelled farther north than anticipated, dumping more snow on Barrie, Wiarton and Muskoka than on the GTA. Some dry air moved into the storm system, decreasing the amount of snow that fell and improving visibility.

And the storm moved faster than forecast.

“The period of most intense snow was a little shorter,” said Coulson. “It was more of a burst as opposed to a longer-lived event for the GTA.”

Several more centimetres are forecast for Wednesday afternoon, but the snow should stop by 7 p.m. as the storm heads off to Quebec, Atlantic Canada and New England.

Winter storm warnings are currently in effect for parts of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, with snowfall warnings for New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

For some Torontonians, the storm has been blown out of proportion.

Kyla Pearson, originally from Calgary, called today’s dump a joke.

“We've had three times as much snow as you guys, and we don't cry wolf. Last week we got 35 centimetres in a day,” Cole Burston, who was born and raised in North Toronto, said from his home in Moncton, NB.

And Doug Fox, who lives in Collingwood, scoffed at the 25 centimetres that fell on his region Wednesday. “When you’ve had 300-plus (centimetres) so far, it's like tossing few more suitcases on the Queen Mary,” he told the Star via Twitter.

Hamilton was the hardest hit area in the GTA, said Coulson. Visibility there has been less than 500 metres since the storm began, and Hamilton is likely to see the full 30 centimetres meteorologists predicted.

Kevin Roman was an hour late to work in Hamilton in the morning.

“I got stuck in my own driveway!” he said. He saw a number of other cars stuck in side streets as he made his way, slowly, to work. He said snow was already 25 centimetres deep and he’d heard predictions of another 15 centimetres throughout the day.

“Main roads are somewhat okay, but the city can’t even keep up with keeping the roads clean,” he explained from work at a Barton St. Subway shop.

In Scarborough, Edith Barron said she had to walk through drifts halfway to her knees to get to work at the Eglinton Ave. Tim Hortons she manages.

“It’s bad, it’s bad,” she said.

Things were under control in Pickering, said Pat Long from a 7-Eleven near the 401. Her drive to work, normally half an hour, took only 35 minutes.

“I was shocked!” she said. “It’s not too bad.”

Long added there was about 12 centimetres of snow on the ground, with lots of blowing snow.

The City of Toronto said its work crews could take up to 16 hours to clear all the side streets. In Mississauga, residential roads may not get plowed for a full 24 hours.

Skies are due to clear overnight Wednesday and the weather will grow cool by the end of the week. Friday will be cold, with a high of -8 C. Normal daytime high at this time of year, said Coulson, is about -2 C.

He predicted some flurries Sunday and maybe Monday, but said it is still a bit early to tell.

More on thestar.com

We value respectful and thoughtful discussion. Readers are encouraged to flag comments that fail to meet the standards outlined in our
Community Code of Conduct.
For further information, including our legal guidelines, please see our full website
Terms and Conditions.